Mk5-R13P2 Silberritter
The Mk5-R13P2 Silberritter, or Silver Knight in German,' '''is most likely one of the more useful and advanced Knightmares in use of the Europia United and its Armed Forces till the introduction of the prototype Mk6-W0X Alexander series. However, due to politics and other such nuisances, only a handful of these units have been deployed during the Second Great War. Appearance The Silberritter at its heart is a cloned version of the RPI-13 Sutherland of the Holy Empire of Britannia. Therefore, bears a strong resemblance to the other knightmare with only some slight differences to set it aside. This mostly a slightly different head design, and several differences in the overall body of the knightmare. The unit's paint job varies with several units using the basic blue colors of other EU Knightmare Frames if they are assigned to the regular EU Armed Forces, while other units like those assigned to the elite Valkyrie Squadron or those assigned to the Knightly Orders of the Vatican sport completely different paint jobs to set them aside from the regular EU Armed Forces. Later on, in the war, the increasing amount of units assigned to the regular armed forces have started to sport different camouflage paint jobs like other knightmares of the EU Armed Forces. Design The overall design of the Silderritter is quite similar to the unit it is based on the RPI-13 Sutherland with only several minor visual differences in its body to set aside from the basic Britannian Sutherland. These differences serve little purpose and are only to set the Silderritter aside from the other knightmare. The only major difference that lay in between these two knightmares is the completely redesigned head of the Silberritter and its slight difference in its weapon load-out. The head of the Silberritter, while it does bear some slight similarity with that of the Sutherland is vastly different. This is mostly due to the dropping of the head-mounted Factsphere which is not something EU's Knightmares actually use. Instead, the head sports a high-end visor-like sensor and camera system built into the face while further sensors are built into the ends of the head's "ears" which is not only different from the Sutherland but the Panzer-II double-headed design. The weapons of the Silberritter on the other-hand are a bit different from that of the Sutherland but still somewhat similar. With the only real difference being the use of the thin M9 Rapiers as their primary close-range weapons instead of the arm-mounted tonfas or lances the Sutherland uses. Then there are the one-shot grenade launchers that can be equipped to the waist of the Silberritter. The vast majority of the handheld weapons and the slash harkens, meanwhile, are all cloned from that of the Sutherland. Armaments Fixed Armament '''M9 Anti-Knightmare Rapier Blades ' The primary handheld weapons of the Silberitter are the thin and long M9 Rapier Blades that are stored in cockpit-mounted sheaths. These blades are quite different from that of the stun-tonfas in use by the Sutherland and don't possess the oscillating properties of the Britannian MVS Swords or the Japanese developed Chain Swords. Instead, they are made out of a hardened carbon-based alloy that allows these blades to have the power to easily cut into almost anything. It was also soon found to be capable of parrying Britannian MVS Swords which saw these blades becoming the standard close-range weapon on every single Silberritter as an increasing amount of enemy Sutherlands started to carry these new weapons. SaH200 Slash Harkens ' At their heart these Slash Harkens are basically cloned versions of the Sutherlands KMF-W1 Slash Harkens but have been improved slightly with a more sturdy tungsten-carbon cable added along with a hidden small blade built into the back of the head of the Slash Harkens. These blades are highly based on the planned "Uruna Edge" Knives that would be used by the new Mk6-W0X Alexander series. Optional Weapons '''MG/K-10 25mm Assault Rifle ' A weapon developed by the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall this weapon is basically a direct clone of the KMF-W5A2 Assault Rifle of the Sutherland and therefore becomes the primary weapon of the Silberritter. Though unlike the KMF-W5A2 rifle the MG/K-10 comes equipped with an attached deployable bayonet. It also is a bit larger which requires it to be fired with both hands instead of one-handed like the regular KMF-W5A2 can be fired. Also the round of this rifle is bit larger and longer allowing for more power though this does mean that this rifle can't use any ammo from the KMF-W5A2 rifle that had been captured or recovered from battlefields. 'MG/K-15 30mm Heavy Assault Rifle ' Unlike the MG/K-10 rifle this heavier rifle is not a cloned version of a Sutherland's weapon, but instead, it is a later produced weapon that is developed by a team drawn from both Rheinmetall and the EU's Barcelona Lab. It is basically a vastly tuned down version of the WAW-04A Series Linear Assault Rifle produced by Barcelona Lab for the use of the new Alexander series prototypes. During the later stages of the Second Great War, this weapon has started to replace the MG/K-10 Rifle as the primary weapon of the Silberritter. Thanks to this rifle being heavily based on the WAW-04A series rifles it possesses a large amount of ammo due to the smaller size of the bullets but retains the hefty punch of the Linear Assault Rifles. 'MG/S-8 35mm Anti-Knightmare Sniper Rifle ' A cloned version of the Sutherland's KMF-W10A1 35mm Anti-Knightmare Sniper Rifle that uses a slightly different round that is heavier and a bit more powerful then the round used by the KMF-W10A1 rifle. It also can be disassembled into three pieces which can be stored on the Silberritter which allows the Knightmare to also carry another, more close-range, weapon if needed. 'KwC100 45mm Assault Cannon ' An interesting weapon that is not cloned from the Sutherland but is basically a cut-down version of the KwK120 cannon that are the primary weapons of the EU's Panzer II Knightmare. It is mainly used for assault missions and anti-ship mission late in the Second Great War when the Empire started to use their new airships in combat. It also become quite useful to fight against the new Sutherland-II Heavy Knightmares during the last days of the war. 'M8 Parade Lance ' An interesting weapon that is not all that useful in direct combat due to be designed to look pretty during parades or ceremonial missions. Therefore it is not really a copy of the Britannian KMF-L Series Lances in use due to being capable of being used in combat. It is only made entirely for non-combat duties and it is not even used by the handful of Silberritter set-aside for the use of the Swiss Guards protecting the Vatican. 'MG/K-12 Parade Rifle ' The counterpart to the M8 Parade Lance that is used by the Silberritter for parades, or ceremonial missions. It is mostly used by knightmares piloted by lower-ranked pilots compared to the lance which is mainly used by senior officers or dedicated ceremonial units. Also unlike the Parade Lance this rifle is fully functional and capable of being used in combat though it is not as useful as the regular MG/K-10 Rifle do it not really being a full assault rifle. Instead being based on an old bolt-action infantry rifle that were used over a half-century before even then one well-placed shot from this rifle can still destroy an enemy knightmare. Thanks to this a bayonet-equipped version is often used by the Silberritter used by the Swiss Guard. '''KaH166 Anti-Armor Carbon Blade A weapon originally developed for the use of the Silberritter before the M9 Rapier Blades where developed. It has since become the main close-range weapon for the Mk5-C3C5 Mistral but has started to be used as a backup weapon for the Silberritter when it was required. System Features KBE-11F Camera and Sensor System Unlike the Britannian Sutherland or any other Britannian Knightmare the EU doesn't really use the Factsphere-series sensor/camera systems on their Knightmares instead using a more durable and rugged system. The Silberritter is no different and sports a visor-like KBE-11F that is bit different from the earlier systems used in both Panzer Series and the newer Mistral. This visor sports a series of smaller sensors, and cameras built into the head underneath a protective visor. KBE-10A Auxiliary Sensor Systems ''' A set of secondary sensors that are built into the ends of the ears of the Silberritter which gather further data for the use of the pilot. They are protected by a shutter system which in reality similar to that of the Britannian Factsphere but are only used in a secondary role. '''KBE-1L Landspinner Mobility System A new system that is quite different from the Landspinners on earlier EU developed Knightmares and is said to be based on the W/E-LS1 system that was developed for the Alexander prototypes. Though it is really the other way around this system inspired the Alexander's landspinner mobility system and is quite more stable then the earlier systems in use by the Panzer Series and the Mistral. Variants Mk5-R13P1 Silberknappe An interesting variant that instead of being produced from scratch by EU factories like the regular Siblerritter these units are built out of captured or recovered Sutherlands. Therefore are a bit different visually from the regular Silberritter and only really have a rebuilt head instead of the differences in the body. Not to mention not as good as the regular Silberritter. Hence the reasoning why they are called Silberknappe, or Silver Squire. As the war continues to drag on more and more damaged Sutherlands are recovered from the battlefields of the war before being converted into Silberknappe units to work alongside the increasing amounts of new locally produced Silberritter and Mistral Knightmares. This at last allows the EU to recall the last remaining outdated Panzer IIB Knightmares from the frontlines. However, this balance changes drastically once more when Britannia starts deploying superior Sutherland Club and small amounts of the new Eighth Generation Vincent Series units. Thankfully, it is only the negotiated cease-fire between the two super-powers as the Second Black Rebellion starts to kick-off in Japan dragging Britannia's attention to the reborn Black Knights that allow the E.U to get its breath back. History When former Britannia Knight of Two Micheal Manfredi arrived in the EU with a large amount of Britannian exiles he handed over early design plans of the brand-new RPI-13 Sutherland to the EU military in exchange for a new home in the EU. However, the EU military only really used these designs to set up training simulations for their Panzer II pilots and military studies on the Sutherland's capabilties while fighting against the EU's Panzer II. It would be a few more years before Manfredi managed to convince the Italian Industrial Vehicle Corporation and German Reinmetall RG Company to finally start joint development on a clone of the Sutherland. This cloned design would soon become the Silberritter and would be produced in small numbers as many higher-ups in the EU military where quite confidant in their Panzer II. An early user of the new Knightmare design would be the newly formed Holy Knightly Orders of the Vatican and the Swiss Guard who would entirely use the new design. It was only when the Second Great War would begin that the Silberritter would start to be used by the regular EU military mostly by elite units like the newly formed Valkyrie Squadron and the new Flashdancers. It was only thanks to increasing amounts of Silberritter and the new French-produced Mistral knightmare that would halt the encroaching Russian Front of the war entirely. Throughout the war the Silberritter would prove itself quite well against its parent design the Sutherland and even could stand up a bit against the far more mobile Gloucester though on paper the Gloucester was quite superior over that of the EU design. As the war continued on many EU Knightmare Units would find that instead of receiving replacement Panzer II units would instead start receiving new Silberritter and Mistral Knightmares. By the mutual ceasefire that really ended the war there was no more Panzer II units on the Frontlines and were entirely made up by the newer Knightmares with more then a third of which being Silberritter or Silberknappe. Notes and Trivia * The Mk5-R13P2 Silberritter is entirely based on the Gracchus Knightmare Frame from the OVA Code Geass: Akito of the Exiled ''and made into an EU-based Knightmare instead of a pseudo-Britannian machine. I just dropped the kind-of dumb extendable arm thing. Also it does not normally have the weird mini-cape thing on the cockpit block either. * The Mk5-R13P1 Silberknappe variant is basically the body of a regular Sutherland but with the visored head of the Gracchus and having one of the M9 Rapier Blades attached to the cockpit block along with using the weapons of the regular Silberritter. * The MG/K-12 Parade Rifle is heavily based on the ceremonial rifle used by the ZGMF-1017 GINN Ceremonial Decoration Type from ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED MSV and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny anime. The only difference being is that it is equipped with an attachable bayonet. Category:Knightmare Frames Category:Divergence Point Knightmares